Friends General Conference - Getting Startedhttp://www.fgcquaker.org/resource-type/getting-started
enHow to "Build" A Friends Meeting or Worship Grouphttp://www.fgcquaker.org/resources/how-build-friends-meeting-or-worship-group
<div class="field field-name-field-signature-image-item field-type-field-collection field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even"><div class="entity entity-field-collection-item field-collection-item-field-signature-image-item clearfix" about="/field-collection/field-signature-image-item/1767" typeof="" class="entity entity-field-collection-item field-collection-item-field-signature-image-item">
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<div class="field field-name-field-signature-image field-type-image field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even"><img typeof="foaf:Image" src="http://www.fgcquaker.org/sites/www.fgcquaker.org/files/styles/node_page/public/signature_images/pdf-logo-100025338-gallery.jpg?itok=64U6nzZy" width="250" height="200" /></div></div></div> </div>
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</div></div></div><div class="field field-name-field-resource-type field-type-taxonomy-term-reference field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even">Getting Started</div></div></div><div class="field field-name-body field-type-text-with-summary field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even" property="content:encoded"><p><strong>Building a Friends Meeting</strong></p><p>There is more to a Friends meeting than an hour of silent worship on Sundays. A vital meeting challenges us to spiritual growth every day of the week. It gathers us into a loving, supportive fellowship. It creates sacred space in which we can find healing, strength, and vision. It sends us out into the world to serve and to witness to the possibility of transformation, peace, and divine love.</p><p>As you think about building (or rebuilding) your meeting or worship group, you might want to plan your Sunday schedule to include each of these elements:</p><p><strong>Gathered worship</strong></p><p>Include the children if possible. Spread a large piece of paper on a low table (freezer paper works well) and encourage the children to draw their images of what happens in meeting or of any messages that are given. Twenty minutes or a half hour of silence may be enough at first, especially if you have young children or people very new to Quakerism. Remember that in gathered worship, we are knitted together and transformed by the presence of Christ, the Inward Teacher, among us. Expect to be changed!</p><p><strong>Worship-sharing</strong></p><p>Schedule regular opportunities for worship-sharing. The guidelines for worship sharing ensure that everyone has an opportunity to speak, and everyone is truly listened to. This is a terrific tool for getting to know each other, for nurturing your own spiritual life, for resolving conflicts, and for transacting meeting business. Your Sunday schedule might include half an hour of worship, and half an hour of worship-sharing until you are ready for more.</p><p><strong>Shared teaching and learning</strong></p><p>Pick out Quaker classics to study together. Do worship sharing around what you found exciting in the reading, or what it revealed about your own experience. You could make study and sharing part of your regular Sunday schedule, or choose a special time for it.</p><p><strong>A common meal</strong></p><p>Sharing food is a wonderful, simple sacrament, and a great community builder. All it takes is soup or salad and a loaf of bread. Plan to bring food for everyone at first. Before long everyone will be contributing something and a potluck will be born.</p><p><strong>Witness</strong></p><p>Your meeting may want to engage in peace or social justice projects as a group, or you may want to provide a base of support for individual witness. Take time to talk about how each of you is living out your beliefs. You might want to read one of the traditional &ldquo;queries&rdquo; from<em> Faith and Practice </em>each month, and share what it means to you.</p><p><strong>Community</strong></p><p>Community has always been a critical part of Quakerism. Early Friends felt knitted together in the experience of gathered worship, and this sense of connection spilled over into all aspects of their lives. They worked, traveled, witnessed, and suffered together, and cared for each other&rsquo;s families in times of need. They sought to recreate the intense spiritual fellowships of primitive Christianity. The word &ldquo;Friend&rdquo; was rich with meaning.</p><p>We cannot return to the days of early Friends, but we can respond to the deep hunger for &nbsp;community in today&rsquo;s hectic, scattered world. Our meetings hold open precious time and space for individual reflection and spiritual growth. They also challenge us to become a gathered people, connected to each other, listening to each other, and caring for each other. Taking a holistic approach to meeting building &mdash; sharing meals, sharing life stories, witnessing together in the world &mdash;may help us rediscover the power and joy of early Quakerism.</p><p><strong>Connect</strong></p><p>Connect with FGC:</p><ul><li>FGC has resources to support new and existing groups</li><li>FGC can help a group connect with other local Quaker groups</li><li>FGC can help you get listed on QuakerFinder.org to help others find you</li></ul><p>FGC staff and volunteers are happy to talk with you about this, or any other issue, your meeting or worship group is facing.&nbsp; Please contact us by emailing us at newmeetings@fgcquaker.org or phoning 215-561-1700.</p></div></div></div>Wed, 01 May 2013 13:40:01 +0000brentb3978 at http://www.fgcquaker.orghttp://www.fgcquaker.org/resources/how-build-friends-meeting-or-worship-group#commentsFirst Impressions for Newcomershttp://www.fgcquaker.org/resources/first-impressions-newcomers
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</div></div></div><div class="field field-name-field-resource-type field-type-taxonomy-term-reference field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even">Getting Started</div></div></div><div class="field field-name-body field-type-text-with-summary field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even" property="content:encoded"><div><p><strong>First Impressions</strong></p></div><p>While the saying &ldquo;you only get one chance to make a good impression&rdquo; is a cliché, it is also the truth.&nbsp; The following are some ways that your worship group or meeting can create a good first impression on newcomers &ndash; and interest them in coming back.</p><p><strong>Meeting Facility</strong></p><p>Look to make sure the signs outside your meeting place make it clear where to park their cars and enter the building.&nbsp; Make certain that any door a visitor might enter by is unlocked.&nbsp; Arrange to have signage (portable or permanent) outside the building identifying it as a place where Quakers worship. Place signage inside the building showing the way to important gathering spaces and restrooms.&nbsp;&nbsp; Have your meeting rooms well maintained and attractive &ndash; this conveys the impression that Friends truly care about the meeting.&nbsp; Also check to ensure that your meeting is physically accessible.&nbsp; This includes having assistance for the hearing impaired.&nbsp;</p><p><strong>Atmosphere</strong></p><p>Think of ways that your meeting can practice Spirit-led hospitality &ndash; such as having a designated welcomer or two every week.&nbsp; Open your hearts and hands to first-time visitors and new attenders.&nbsp; Seek that of God in each person who attends your meeting, however short or long their involvement in Quakerism, however &ldquo;Quakerly&rdquo; their behavior, however similar or different they may be to those already attending the meeting.&nbsp; Reach out to newcomers as fellow seekers instead of seeing them as &ldquo;growth&rdquo; or &ldquo;financial&rdquo; prospects.&nbsp; A friendly greeting is always welcome and will not scare people away.&nbsp; Greet all newcomers equally.</p><p><strong>Introductions and Announcements</strong></p><p>Make sure that your announcement period reflects the vitality of your meeting and of the Quaker way.&nbsp; Avoid jargon and acronyms.&nbsp; Your meeting members and regular attenders may know the Quaker alphabet, but newcomers will likely have no idea what AFSC, FWCC, FGC, and the like mean.&nbsp; If you would like visitors to introduce themselves, find a way that does not single them out &ndash; many find this uncomfortable.&nbsp; Invite, depending on the size of the group, everyone present, first-time visitor and longtime member alike, to introduce themselves. (see our &ldquo;Identifying and Welcoming Newcomers&rdquo; PDF for other suggestions).</p><p><strong>Guest Book</strong></p><p>Have a current and nice looking guest book prominently displayed and invite visitors to sign it, as they feel comfortable.&nbsp; Include columns for their names, addresses, phone numbers, and emails.&nbsp; Then, since you have this information, follow-up with a card, letter or email thanking them for visiting, asking whether they have any questions, giving them the name of a person to contact should any questions arise, and inviting them to return.</p><p><strong>Information</strong></p><p>Prepare a packet of basic information for newcomers.&nbsp; It is especially important to include information that explains the life and work of your community. Let your members know that newcomers may ask questions about what Quakers believe and that they should be prepared to answer.&nbsp; Have a supply of simple literature about the Quaker way to offer visitors.&nbsp; You might want to use FGC&rsquo;s &ldquo;Newcomers Cards&rdquo; located at <a href="http://www.fgcquaker.org/resources/newcomers-cards">http://www.fgcquaker.org/resources/newcomers-cards</a></p><p><strong>Bulletin Boards</strong></p><p>Check to make sure that your bulletin boards (portable or permanent) are up to date and reflect the diversity and vitality of your meeting and the wider Quaker world.&nbsp; Make bulletin boards more lively by featuring photographs of meeting activities. Use large-print labels to organize material and to help visitors catch the range of the meeting&rsquo;s connections and interests.</p><p><strong>Children</strong></p><p>Let newcomers with children know that you have a First Day School or childcare and that their children are welcome to attend as they feel comfortable.</p><p>Connect</p><p><strong>Connect with FGC:</strong></p><ul><li>FGC has resources to support new and existing groups</li><li>FGC can help a group connect with other local Quaker groups</li><li>FGC can help you get listed on QuakerFinder.org to help others find you</li></ul><p>FGC staff and volunteers are happy to talk with you about this, or any other issue, your meeting or worship group is facing.&nbsp; Please contact us by emailing us at newmeetings@fgcquaker.org or phoning 215-561-1700.</p><p>&nbsp;</p><p><em>Adapted from a previous piece by FGC&rsquo;s Advancement and Outreach Committee</em></p><p>&nbsp;</p></div></div></div>Wed, 01 May 2013 13:29:44 +0000brentb3977 at http://www.fgcquaker.orghttp://www.fgcquaker.org/resources/first-impressions-newcomers#commentsIntroducing Newcomers to Meeting for Worshiphttp://www.fgcquaker.org/resources/introducing-newcomers-meeting-worship
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</div></div></div><div class="field field-name-field-resource-type field-type-taxonomy-term-reference field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even">Getting Started</div></div></div><div class="field field-name-body field-type-text-with-summary field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even" property="content:encoded"><div><p><strong>Newcomers and Meeting for Worship</strong></p></div><p>Many aspects of a meeting&rsquo;s or worship group&rsquo;s life influence a visitor&rsquo;s decision to become a regular attender and active participant.&nbsp; The vitality of your meeting or worship group and the ways you inform newcomers about your faith affect visitors decisions whether to return or not, as do their feelings of welcome and acceptance.&nbsp; Most important though is the quality of worship.&nbsp; Quakers offer a form of worship that is distinct from other faiths.</p><p>Besides meeting other like-hearted people, Quakers offer a winsome invitation to come meet God, to encounter the Divine.&nbsp; This is an invitation to listen for God&#39;s words to their souls in company with others who have gathered expecting an encounter with the Divine.&nbsp; We gather in silence and listen openly to God, the Light, the Seed, the Inward Teacher, the Living Christ.&nbsp; The Divine encounter may come through spoken word, a song, a smile, or through the silence.&nbsp; Women, men, and children are equally able to give vocal ministry as they feel led in a Quaker meeting or worship group.&nbsp;</p><p>Meetings can help first-time visitors and new attenders find meaning in the profoundly spiritual way we worship.</p><p><strong>Meeting for Worship</strong></p><p>Do your part in helping your meeting for worship to be grounded in expectant waiting and Spirit-led ministry.&nbsp; Remember, the silence of worship is not a passive silence, but an active going toward God, seeking a glimpse of the Divine.&nbsp; The special discipline of the Quaker way is to listen with more than our ears.&nbsp; We listen for the Voice that speaks not only in words, but also in gentle tugs on our hearts, images and insights arising in our minds, in the beauty our eyes behold, and the gratitude we feel. So come to meeting expecting to attend to &nbsp;the Voice within and, perhaps, to be transformed.</p><p>The deeply spiritual nature of our worship is one reason it is important to have materials to explain Quaker worship to newcomers.&nbsp; You can visit Quaker Books of FGC (http://www.quakerbooks.org/).</p><p><strong>Connect</strong></p><p>Connect with FGC:</p><ul><li>FGC has resources to support new and existing groups</li><li>FGC can help a group connect with other local Quaker groups</li><li>FGC can help you get listed on QuakerFinder.org to help others find you</li></ul><p>FGC staff and volunteers are happy to talk with you about this, or any other issue, your meeting or worship group is facing.&nbsp; Please contact us by emailing us at newmeetings@fgcquaker.org or phoning 215-561-1700.&nbsp;</p><p>&nbsp;</p><p>&nbsp;</p></div></div></div>Wed, 01 May 2013 13:25:15 +0000brentb3976 at http://www.fgcquaker.orghttp://www.fgcquaker.org/resources/introducing-newcomers-meeting-worship#commentsPractical Arrangements for Starting a New Quaker Worship Group or Meetinghttp://www.fgcquaker.org/resources/practical-arrangements-starting-new-quaker-worship-group-or-meeting
<div class="field field-name-field-signature-image-item field-type-field-collection field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even"><div class="entity entity-field-collection-item field-collection-item-field-signature-image-item clearfix" about="/field-collection/field-signature-image-item/1761" typeof="" class="entity entity-field-collection-item field-collection-item-field-signature-image-item">
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</div></div></div><div class="field field-name-field-resource-type field-type-taxonomy-term-reference field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even">Getting Started</div></div></div><div class="field field-name-body field-type-text-with-summary field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even" property="content:encoded"><div><p><strong>Practical Arrangements for Starting a New Quaker Worship Group or Meeting</strong></p></div><p>While beginning a new worship group or meeting is primarily a spiritual endeavor, there are also various practical matters you will want to consider.&nbsp; The following are some basic steps you should contemplate prior to holding your first gathering &ndash; and continue them after the group is underway.</p><p><strong>A Place to Meet</strong></p><p>Look for a place to meet that is fairly centrally located to the people you hope to attract.&nbsp; You want a place large enough, but not so large that it feels empty if only a few people attend.&nbsp; It is best to meet at one place regularly so people know where to find you.&nbsp; You may want to start out in a home and then move to larger quarters as attendance dictates.&nbsp; Some other things to think about, besides size of the space:</p><ul><li>Is it accessible to public transportation?</li><li>Is there adequate parking?</li><li>Is it handicapped accessible?</li><li>Are there restroom facilities?</li><li>Are the acoustics appropriate for vocal ministry being heard (especially by the hearing impaired)?</li><li>Can you place a sign (even a temporary one only used on meeting days) someplace visible to let attenders know you&rsquo;re meeting?</li></ul><p><strong>A Time to Meet</strong></p><p>As you think about when to meet, consider what meeting time might be best for the people you hope to attract. When they first start up, some worship groups begin meeting early on Sunday/ First Day morning, on Sunday/First Day afternoon, or in the evening mid-week. This gives potential attenders, who may be involved in other faith communities, the opportunity to discover Quaker worship.</p><p><strong>A Place to Sit</strong></p><p>No matter whether you&rsquo;re meeting in a home or another space, you&rsquo;ll want to make certain you have enough seating for regular attenders and visitors.&nbsp; Arrange the seating in a way that promotes sharing and sight. Some possibilities include the following:</p><ul><li>If the group is small enough, arrange the chairs in one circle, with spaces for people to come in and out of the circle.&nbsp;</li><li>You could also set up in a square &ndash; again with access to and from the square.</li><li>Some meetings and worship groups sit in two sets of rows that face each other</li></ul><ul><li>Make sure to add additional seating as the group grows, following the shape that works for your group</li><li>Encourage regular attenders to sit in the innermost row to allow room for visitor/latecomers to sit behind them.</li></ul><p><strong>A Place for Children</strong></p><p>Plan ahead of time for how you will serve children who may come.&nbsp; Will they be welcome in worship?&nbsp; If so, how will your provide for their spiritual needs during that time?&nbsp; Have age appropriate materials for them to read or look at.&nbsp; Consider ways of introducing them to expectant listening for God.&nbsp; Prepare bags with quiet activities they can do during worship.&nbsp;</p><ul><li>as your group gets more fully established, you may want to think about providing things such as childcare or First Day school in a space other than the worship space.</li></ul><p><strong>A Place of Invitation</strong></p><p>Though we Quakers are often reticent to toot our own horns, we need to realize that the only way interested people will find us is if we let them know we exist and we welcome them.&nbsp; Use news releases to your local paper, place posters in places where people gather, start a Facebook page and so on to get the word out that Quakers are meetings and visitors are invited!</p><p><strong>Arrive Early</strong></p><p>You and the other folks organizing the new group need to be early &ndash; not just on time.&nbsp; Plan to arrive 15 minutes ahead of the announced meeting time so you can make certain the room is set up correctly and that you&rsquo;re there to greet visitors.</p><p><strong>Begin on Time</strong></p><p>Whether there are four or forty, begin meeting at the announced time.&nbsp; Begin gathering in expectant silence at the announced time or even a bit earlier.&nbsp; Have a designated greeter stationed who can remain at the entrance for a while after the meeting settles in.&nbsp; This person can direct visitors and/or latecomers to the meeting space and, after a word of explanation about Quaker worship for newcomers, invite them to enter the meeting space.</p><p><strong>Announcements and Introduction</strong></p><p>Close worship with a time of announcements and introductions.&nbsp; The reason for closing, instead of beginning, this way is that everyone will be there at the end to hear the introductions and announcements.&nbsp; As a new group, you may want to go around the circle or square and have everyone share his or her name (even the children).&nbsp; This spares visitors any embarrassment of being singled out for attention.</p><p>As you think about announcements, share those things which pertain to the group.&nbsp; Avoid Quaker jargon or acronyms (say &ldquo;American Friends Service Committee&rdquo; instead of &ldquo;AFSC&rdquo;).</p><ul><li>announce where and how donations to the expenses of the group can be made.</li><li>announce the date, time, and location of the next meeting.&nbsp; Don&rsquo;t assume that everyone, especially visitors, will know when and where the next gathering is.</li></ul><p><strong>Socialize</strong></p><p>Provide an opportunity for visitors and regular attenders to meet each other and mingle following worship.&nbsp; This may be over something as simple as coffee and light refreshments to a carry-in meal.&nbsp; Such socializing over food gives Friends another chance to bond and form community. It also provides an opportunity to talk more about what the Quaker way offers.</p><p><strong>Leave the Space Neat</strong></p><p>You may, in the early days, want to designate a couple of people to return the space to its original condition (if you are in rented or shared space) or to assist the home&rsquo;s host in tidying up after meeting.&nbsp;</p><p>Connect</p><p><strong>Connect with FGC:</strong></p><ul><li>FGC has resources to support new and existing groups</li><li>FGC can help a group connect with other local Quaker groups</li><li>FGC can help you get listed on QuakerFinder.org to help others find you</li></ul><p>FGC staff and volunteers are happy to talk with you about this, or any other issue, your meeting or worship group is facing.&nbsp; Please contact us by emailing us at newmeetings@fgcquaker.org or phoning 215-561-1700.</p><p>&nbsp;</p></div></div></div>Wed, 01 May 2013 13:21:26 +0000brentb3975 at http://www.fgcquaker.orghttp://www.fgcquaker.org/resources/practical-arrangements-starting-new-quaker-worship-group-or-meeting#commentsStarting a New Quaker Worship Group or Meetinghttp://www.fgcquaker.org/resources/starting-new-quaker-worship-group-or-meeting
<div class="field field-name-field-signature-image-item field-type-field-collection field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even"><div class="entity entity-field-collection-item field-collection-item-field-signature-image-item clearfix" about="/field-collection/field-signature-image-item/1759" typeof="" class="entity entity-field-collection-item field-collection-item-field-signature-image-item">
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</div></div></div><div class="field field-name-field-resource-type field-type-taxonomy-term-reference field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even">Getting Started</div></div></div><div class="field field-name-body field-type-text-with-summary field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even" property="content:encoded"><div><p><strong>Starting a New Quaker Worship Group or Meeting</strong></p></div><p>Quaker worship groups and meetings are dynamic faith communities.&nbsp; It is wonderful that you are considering starting a worship group or meeting!&nbsp; Below is some information that will help you in this spiritual endeavor.</p><p><strong>Quaker Worship Group or Meeting</strong></p><p>A Quaker worship group or meeting is composed of two or more people who come together for prayer and worship.&nbsp; Quaker worship generally consists entirely &mdash;or having an extended period of&mdash; what Friends call unprogrammed worship.&nbsp; This is where folks gather in expectant, waiting silence and listen openly to God, the Light, the Seed, the Inward Teacher, the Living Christ.&nbsp; Women, men, and children are equally able to give vocal ministry as they feel led by the Spirit in a Quaker meeting or worship group. The meeting for worship may be entirely unprogrammed or may be &ldquo;semi-programmed&rdquo; in which a reading, a brief presentation, or communal singing may precede the unprogrammed worship.</p><p>A Quaker worship group or meeting exists in relationship to other Quaker meetings and is structured within the practices and framework of the Religious Society of Friends (Quakers).&nbsp; It does not function in isolation.</p><p>Purpose</p><p><strong>A Quaker worship group</strong> is a worshipping community that:</p><ul><li>Worships together and listens together to discern how the Spirit/Divine/God/Inward Christ calls them to a life of love, faithfulness, and community</li><li>Supports its members as they live into their beliefs and find ways to be faithful in the Quaker manner</li><li>Celebrates the joys and mourns the sorrows of its members</li><li>Is often newly formed and meets in participants&rsquo; homes or in rented space</li><li>Often is smaller than a meeting and has less structure</li><li>Usually exists under the care of a Quaker meeting that offers assistance and nurture</li></ul><p><strong>A Quaker meeting</strong> is a worshipping community that does all the things above, and:</p><ul><li>Has a formal structure and meets regularly to conduct business</li><li>Appoints committees and individuals to do the work of the meeting</li><li>As usually formally affiliated with a Yearly Meeting or an association of Friends (such as Friends General Conference).</li></ul><br clear="all" /><p><strong>Getting Started</strong></p><p>First, go to Quakerfinder.org to find out if there are already Quakers near you.&nbsp; If so, worship with them a few times.&nbsp; You may find that you don&rsquo;t need to start a worship group or meeting.&nbsp; Or you may find one or more people on Quaker Finder who would help your group get started.</p><p>If there aren&rsquo;t Quakers near you:</p><ul><li>Spend some time discerning if there really is a need for a new worship group or meeting.<ul style="list-style-type:circle;"><li>You may want to invite 2 or 3 local folks who are Quaker or interested in Quakers to join in discernment with you.</li><li>Contact FGC and a nearby yearly meeting to determine if there are established meetings or worship groups in your region with whom you might form a mentoring relationship.</li></ul></li><li>Hold a planning meeting, perhaps in someone&rsquo;s home<ul style="list-style-type:circle;"><li>Advertise the planning meeting widely<ul><li>Do not assume that you know the &ldquo;type&rdquo; of person who will be drawn to the worship group or meeting</li></ul></li></ul></li><li>Decide when and where the group will meet<ul style="list-style-type:circle;"><li>The more consistent the time and place, the easier it is for newcomers to find the group</li></ul></li><li>Publicize the new group widely&nbsp;</li><li>Worship<ul style="list-style-type:circle;"><li>Include time for refreshments before and/or after worship</li><li>Provide childcare and/or Quaker education for children</li></ul></li><li>Find times to study Quaker practice, beliefs, and history together</li><li>Find times to share spiritual journeys</li><li>Consider ways to do service together in the community</li><li>Participate with Quakers regionally to connect with nearby monthly meetings and the area yearly meeting, , e.g., attend gatherings sponsored by other meetings, participate in yearly meeting sessions, etc</li><li>Reflect periodically on how the group is developing</li><li>Connect early and often with any local monthly and yearly meetings<ul style="list-style-type:circle;"><li>The yearly meeting can help your group connect with a monthly meeting which may be willing to send Friends to your worship group to share worship with you, and assist the group in other ways.</li><li>The yearly meeting can add your worship group to its mailing lists so that your group can be notified of events and opportunities for gathering with other Friends</li></ul></li><li>Connect with FGC early and often, also, as:<ul style="list-style-type:circle;"><li>FGC has resources to support new groups</li><li>FGC can help a group connect with other local Quaker groups</li><li>FGC can help you get listed on QuakerFinder.org to help others find you</li></ul></li></ul><p><strong>Helpful Definitions</strong></p><p><strong>Monthly &amp; Yearly Meeting</strong></p><p>These are recognized structures of meetings and groups of meetings.&nbsp; A monthly meeting usually meets at least weekly for worship, usually on Sunday morning, and meets monthly to do business together.&nbsp; A yearly meeting (or association or conference) meets yearly to do business together. A yearly meeting is generally an association of monthly meetings in a given region.</p><p><strong>Under the Care of a Monthly or Yearly Meeting</strong></p><p>A new worship group or meeting is usually under the care of a monthly or yearly meeting which assists in carrying out the business of the new group and developing and caring for the spiritual life of the new group.&nbsp; The business of a worship group at this point is primarily related to membership and finances.&nbsp; The new group is asked to be in regular communication with the existing (or &ldquo;parent&rdquo;) monthly or yearly meeting and is invited to regional events by these bodies.</p><p><strong>Connect</strong></p><p>Again, connect with FGC:</p><ul><li>FGC has resources to support new and existing groups</li><li>FGC can help a group connect with other local Quaker groups</li><li>FGC can help you get listed on QuakerFinder.org to help others find you</li></ul><p>FGC staff and volunteers are happy to talk with you about this, or any other issue, your meeting or worship group is facing.&nbsp; Please contact us by emailing us at newmeetings@fgcquaker.org or phoning 215-561-1700.</p><p>&nbsp;</p><p><em>Adapted from a previous piece by FGC&rsquo;s Advancement and Outreach Committee</em></p></div></div></div>Wed, 01 May 2013 13:14:47 +0000brentb3974 at http://www.fgcquaker.orghttp://www.fgcquaker.org/resources/starting-new-quaker-worship-group-or-meeting#comments